Hunt for hospital sex killer continues as report reveals toll of rapes on wards
A predator who sexually assaulted a grandmother while she lay in a hospital bed after suffering a stroke is still on the loose more than four years later.
It comes as horrifying new figures show that more than 6,500 rapes and sexual assaults were committed in hospitals in England and Wales between January 2019 and October 2022.
And only 265 people - or 4.1 per cent - are known to have been charged for these offences.
Valerie Kneale's family thought she had died from a stroke, but a routine post-mortem examination revealed the horrifying truth - that she had been violently sexually assaulted in November 2018.
The attack was so bad she died from her injuries and the pathologist performing the post-mortem immediately raised the alarm with the police.
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Valerie's family and Lancashire Police continue to appeal for information to find her attacker (Lancashire Police)
(Lancashire Police)Officers launched a murder inquiry and are concerned the attacker is still on the loose, and believe he has likely carried out attacks before and may well strike again.
In March, there was a renewed appeal for information to find Valerie's killer with Crimestoppers offering £20,000 to help find them.
It comes as alarming figures from the Women's Right Network reveal that at least 2,008 rapes and 4,451 sexual assaults in hospitals were recorded by police forces in the UK.
The figures are based on 35 of the 43 police forces in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that responded to a Freedom of Information request.
Not every force provided information on the sex of the victim.
Lisa described her Aunty Val as 'such a wonderful, lovely person' (BBC)Some responses included rapes by "multiple offenders".
In a West Midlands hospital, there was a rape of a female over the age of 16 by multiple offenders.
There were six rapes of girls under the age of 13 in Lancashire and three rapes of a girl under 16 in Cambridgeshire.
The WRN also received responses that uncovered 13 rapes of a male over the age of 16, including one involving "multiple offenders" and the sexual assault of a male child under the age of 13.
The forces with the highest total number of reported sexual assaults and rape are Metropolitan Police (1466) and Derbyshire (1068) - while the lowest are Durham (15) and the City of London (1).
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Detective Chief Inspector Jill Johnston told the Mirror in March that Valerie's family need answers (BBC)Heather Binning, the founder of WRN, said: "These statistics are jaw-dropping. We began this investigation because a number of members raised concerns about the safety of women and children on NHS wards, but we are horrified at what we have uncovered.
"The volume of sexual assaults and rapes is even more horrific when you consider that this data covers the pandemic when much of the country was in lockdown and hospitals were supposedly even more vigilant.
"Hospitals are places where everyone - patients, staff and visitors - should feel completely safe. But rapes and violent assaults are taking place every week in hospitals. To add to the horror, those men committing the crimes are getting away with it.
"A charge rate of 4.1 per cent is appalling - the hospitals and police are failing women and children yet again."
Valerie's killer is still at large (Lancashire Police)Jo Phoenix, the report author, added: "The figures that WRN has uncovered are shocking and prove that NHS Trusts are failing in their duty to protect both patients and staff. Further, the fact that 95.9 per cent of all reports were either no-further-actioned or not recorded is also truly appalling.
"Although there are no reasons given within the research for this alarmingly low figure, what is clear is that there appears to be ingrained inertia in dealing with this safeguarding and policing failure."
Valerie's family and Lancashire Police continue to appeal for information to find her attacker.
Just hours before the devastating attack, the 75-year-old gran had been at home with her husband Bill, when she had a stroke during her evening meal and was rushed to Blackpool Victoria Hospital, on November 12, 2018.
She died surrounded by family on November 16.
New figures show that more than 6,500 rapes and sexual assaults were committed in hospitals in England and Wales between January 2019 and October 2022 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)Her case was highlighted on the BBC Crimewatch Live programme on Tuesday morning and has led to a Crimestoppers announcing a £20,000 reward for anyone who comes forward with information that leads to a conviction.
Speaking on Crimewatch, Valerie's niece Lisa Jaffier expressed the family's anger that someone could attack her aunt 'when she was unable to defend herself'.
Lisa described her Aunty Val as "such a wonderful, lovely person, she was fun, she loved people, she enjoyed life and was the hub of the family and she had this really lovely skill of making you feel so special and so loved".
She added the family were not looking for answers and expected the post-mortem to say she died of a stroke, but the truth was absolutely horrific.
"To think that someone did that to a lovely person at a time when she was helpless, at her most vulnerable, where she couldn't shout out, she couldn't defend herself," Lisa added.
Speaking to the Mirror in March, Detective Chief Inspector Jill Johnston, who is leading the investigation, said: “For over four years Valerie’s family have been left truly devastated by her death – they are desperate for answers and cannot rest until they understand what happened.
"And at a time when she really was at her most vulnerable."
A healthcare professional arrested in 2021 on suspicion of murder was later eliminated from the investigation.
Anyone with information can contact the police incident room number on (01253) 604406 or email [email protected] quoting log 0244 of March 2.
You can also provide information using the Major Incident Public Portal; Public Portal (mipp.police.uk)
Alternatively, you can call independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week or use a secure, anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
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